During my research on HATS for beginners like me, I found these great resources:

List of available HATs for help authors who use MS Word at:
http://www.mshelpwiki.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=AvailableTools

List of reviews on many of these HATS:
http://www.mshelpwiki.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=SoftwareReviews

I’ve also gotten good insight by emailing authors of software reviews. Many have responded within days and have been helpful.

Mostly however, I’ve found that trying the application is the best way to determine if it’s right for my projects and purposes.

So far, there is no excellent comparison matrix that would help a beginning HAT user sort out which HAT is best for his needs and purposes.

Hat-matrix.com may work for some, but I’ve found it not very useful. It seems better suited to tech writers, experienced with at least one HAT, who already possess a vast internal glossary of HAT terms.

Opinion:
So far, as a Word user with very limited experience on trials of Madcap Flare and Doc-To-Help, the latter looks most promising. I'll try to keep this updated to help those who walk this path...

Email me or post w/ your insights--I can use the help !

Tim Mantyla

“Hey—let’s make lunch a national holiday...every day!"